WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US Navy has dispatched a P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft to assist in search efforts for a missing EgyptAir passenger aircraft, the US Navy said in a Twitter message on Thursday.
#USNavy providing P-3 Orion, seen here in file photo, in support of search for #EgyptAir #MS804. pic.twitter.com/XIdv8WhlHx
— U.S. Navy (@USNavy) 19 May 2016
EgyptAir Flight MS804 departed from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris at 23:09 GMT. The aircraft was heading for Cairo International Airport. According to the airline, there were a total of 66 people on board the plane, including 56 passengers.
A clear statement on the reasons for the disappearance of the EgyptAir passenger jet over the Mediterranean Sea earlier on Thursday is not expected for several days, the Egyptian Civil Aviation Minister added.